Should recycling be compulsory?
Seeing recent photos and news articles in the media recently it really does make you worry about the level of waste we have on a daily basis. We have been discussing in the Chefs In Scotland office the last week on whether we should be using a recycling bin or not. It makes you wonder how much of the waste we have ends up in our oceans. You think to yourself that its only 1 plastic bottle or 1 crisp packet but if you multiply that by the rest of the world’s population it is a devastating amount.
Recent research shows that around 14 billion pounds worth of rubbish is swimming around in the ocean. Majority of the marine life starve due to this as they mistake the plastic waste for real food resulting in them not being able to digest the waste. It is said that a truck dumps waste into our oceans every 2 minutes.
Recycling is becoming more and more popular with many establishments having different coloured bins for plastics, food waste, cardboard etc and the odd compost bin. Compost bins are great for scraping left overs into, fruit peel s, coffee grounds etc. It is a great way to use left overs which means the soil inside can be re used to plant flowers and crops.
I have to admit, recycling has never been something I’ve ever thought about at home but seeing the drastic effects waste has on our environment it makes you want to do your bit to help. I want to try and recycle at least 1 bag full every week. It may not seem much but if we all did our own bit then the outcome would be worth it.
Do you have recycling bins and compost bins in your establishment you work in and what are your thoughts on it? Should we make recycling compulsory?
Jade Porteous
We currently have 26 relief chefs out working all over Scotland.
The relief work we have coming in is still very patchy.
We are still meeting chefs here in Moffat and we are available Tuesday AM or PM, Wednesday AM or PM, Thursday AM or PM and Friday AM or PM. Please get in touch to set up a day and time.
We are still registering new relief chefs but the priority will go to the chefs who are well known to us, we expect relief work to start picking up mid-March.
Some chefs we have out working
Mick Kitson is helping out at the Glenisla Hotel along with Ionel Rizea
Graham Smith is at The Balmacara Hotel opening the hotel for the season ahead
Michael Njoroge and Ally Elder are both at The Onich Hotel
Keren Tweedie and Scott Bolton are at The Nethy Bridge Hotel
Mike Scotford is at The Old Manor Hotel
Bobby Ainsworth is back at East Haugh Hotel
Chris Roberti is at The Cartland bridge Hotel
Ally Brown is at Macdonald Forest Hills Hotel
Jason Paxton is at Fife Arms Braemar
Dale Paton is at Fife Arms Turriff
Jason Keenan is over in Stornoway at The County Hotel
Sean Abernethy is at the Grand Hotel in Shetland
Peter Norrie is at Baxter’s in Fochabers
Lillian Clarkson is at Grantown East Heritage Centre
Stuart Maccoll is at Drovers inn
Thanks for all your hard work and support 😊
With this cold weather we have been experiencing it feels like the perfect time of year for what I would describe as comfort food. It’s a time for warming pies, hearty stews, hot pots, spicy curries and sometimes old-fashioned puddings. When you are working in a kitchen it can be so hard to eat sensibly at the best of times. I always used to struggle when I worked the pastry section as there was always so much fresh bread and desserts around it was hard to resist.
In the office its not too hard to get into a healthy eating routine as we have set lunch breaks but when you work in a kitchen and you work split shifts its hard to get into a good routine where you aren’t just eating whatever is going and eating on the go. It was a rare occasion to have a sit-down meal when I worked in the kitchen apart from one establishment which had set meal times and a good staff area. There are more and more establishments we speak to who have areas to have staff meals at certain times which I guess would be good for staff moral although not always do-able especially on a busy Saturday night.
When I was working splits, I used to go swimming at the local gym, or I would go for a walk in the area surrounding the staff accommodation which was in the Borders at the time. I found that this was a good way to maintain good overall well-being and was a nice way to clear your head from prep-lists and evening service.
What do you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle while working in a busy kitchen?
How important is stock take?
I was thinking back to my previous job and was thinking of how we were giving the gruelling task of stock take this time last year. Working for a large company like the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, stock take was taken very seriously. We were all given a hand held machine and had to count each specific piece of stock onto this device. As well as dealing with the crowds of tourists that poured in off the coaches we had to individually count pencils, pens, notebooks etc. Something that I felt was rather unnecessary but it was company policy. In comparison to stock take in a bar it’s completely different. It’s a simple case of a licensed member coming in and counting the stock for you, much simpler and less time consuming compared to working in retail.
I do wonder how important stock take is to employers. Is it something you take seriously in your work place?
Relief jobs coming in have been very patchy this last couple of weeks, but this is expected for the time of year.
We are happy to register new chefs for the up and coming season which will start mid to late March and will end roughly at the end of October.
Relief chefs receive good hourly rates of pay varying from £12 - £18 per hour depending on level. You are paid for a minimum of 40 hours per week over 5 days. Return travelling expenses will be paid subject to you completing the agreed work stint. And if required clean single accommodation is provided at no charge. Holiday pay is payable from day one of starting any relief job and is paid at 12.07% on all hours worked. Wages are paid weekly or monthly with weekly advances through PAYE.
Please email across your up to date CV, contactable work references and current Hygiene Certificate to jojo@chefsinscotland.co.uk (QUOTE RELIEF 2019)
We also would like to meet all relief chefs, this will be in Moffat where we are based. We will chase up references as standard then will get in touch to check your availability.
We have excellent availability of chefs and the priority of work will be given to the chefs who have worked all last season.
Expectations from relief chefs
1. Must complete required stint
2. Jump into the job whatever the situation.
3. If there is an issue with any job please speak to line manager first then refer to CIS to see if we can resolve.
4. We expect you to be punctual for all relief jobs booked.
5. Clean whites and knives.
6. Accommodation that is provided should be looked after and left as found.
7. Sobriety Do not drink any alcohol during working hours, and please drink responsibly after shift or on time off. We do expect you to be an ambassador for CIS and all your fellow relief chefs.
8. We ask for help and loyalty from all relief chefs
9. Holidays – Ideally holidays will be taken out of season (November, January and February) in season we would suggest take up to a maximum of 4 weeks.
10. Flexibility on area and position.
11. Mobile phones – to be switched off during working hours. You can check when you are on your break.
Expectations to the chef.
1. Clear concise information is given to the chef. How many rooms? Style of menu? Covers? Accommodation – what is it? Pay frequency and on which day? Start date and time? What are the shifts? Will you get meals on duty? We stipulate min 40 hours per week over 5 days or 8 hours per day if 4 days or less.
2. Clean single accommodation is to be provided. What it is? How many people sharing with? Where is the accommodation? Tv wifi?
3. We suggest you have a supply of P46 and timesheets which we can pass over to you.
4. We will give guidance on chefs not paid issues 1. Call the establishment 2. Write to the establishment 3. Contact ACAS Tel: 0300 123 1100
5. For good loyal chefs we will try our best and keep you in work all year round.
6. Happy to undertake getting a Disclosure Scotland.
7. Ideally you will be able to come and meet at our office in Moffat.
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